Funds are requested to purchase an Olympus Fluoview 1000S confocal instrument with state-of-the art functionality to replace an aging shared system that can no longer meet the research demands of our NIH funded researchers. There is a general demand for the increased speed and sensitivity that the Fluoview 1000S will provide. Additionally, collaborations across fields have broadened the research demands upon our facility and its shared confocal system. Our confocal system needs to support analyses of multiple organisms (e.g. marine invertebrates, C. elegans, and mammalian cell cultures), multiple probes (fluorescent proteins, quantum dots, and dyes) in multiple research paradigms. To provide this versatility, we have proposed a system with spectral imaging capabilities, a motorized X, Y stage and an environmental system that supports a range of imaging demands. This configuration will allow researchers to systematically sample large fields at high resolution, and to repeatedly sample multiple locations in fixed and live specimens. A replacement system is critical to insuring the on-going success of our NIH funded researchers and to supporting their biomedically relevant research programs. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: A number of NIH funded research projects depend on access to a state-of-the art confocal microscope. The replacement of an aging discontinued confocal microscope with the proposed state-of-the-art system will facilitate numerous biomedical research projects relevant to public health including projects on cancer, wound healing, polycystic kidney disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.